Hakusan Moon

Looking to keep the foreign raider from notching back-to-back wins is a somewhat motley crew of newcomers and veterans.Hakusan Moon is back to avenge his loss in last year’s Takamatsunomiya. Though he most likely won’t be the favorite come Sunday, his recent second-place in the G3 Yukan Fuji Sho Ocean Stakes earlier this month will put his name on many a wager. He has yet to win a Grade 1 race despite seven tries, but he’s come close twice, with his second in this race last year and a second in the Sprinters Stakes in 2013. He is seven years old now and has not seen the winner’s circle since the 2013 Centaur Stakes. Connections say he has had the same rotation going in to the race for the past four years in a row and is, if anything, at least accustomed to the leadup.

Dance Director

Dance Director is a 6-year-old that stepped into the limelight when he pocketed his first graded-race win last time out, with a first in the G3 Silk Road Stakes on Jan. 31. He topped the field by a length and a half. It will be his first Grade 1 event but his performance in the Silk Road Stakes gave him high marks. Trainer Kazuhide Sasada says the win was thanks to the horse’s ability to travel well from the start. “He had an ideal trip. But, if he’s worked up or misses the break, things don’t always go that nicely. The start is key but he runs well in the final stages too. I don’t see any problem with the change in venue and if he gets a smooth run, I think he has a chance.”

Mikki Isle

Another name that will surely be among the top picks is Mikki Isle, winner of the 2014 Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup.Mikki Isle nailed the Takamatsunomiya step race Hankyu Hai (1,400 meters, G3) going wire to wire, which gave the 5-year-old his first win since he won the G2 Mainichi Broadcast. Swan Stakes in late 2014. Third place in last year’s Takamatsunomiya Kinen,Mikki Isle was fourth in the Sprinters Stakes last year and seventh in the Hong Kong Sprint and it could be that the son of Deep Impact may be looking for a bit more distance. Still, connections say he has got the tenacity of a top-level champion and they’re hoping he’ll show improvement with the one race behind him.

Let’s Go Donki

Let’s Go Donki also displayed tenacity with a great job holding her ground in second position in the Hankyu Hai. She was overtaken in the last 10 strides and finished sixth. Trainer Tomoyuki Umeda says that race has sharpened the 4-year-old filly up nicely. Umeda also thinks she can handle the shorter distance. “With the race she ran last time out, she looks like she’ll be able to handle 1,200 meters.”

Albiano

Another filly, one who is still a question for the Takamatsunomiya Kinen lineup, is Albiano, an American-bred 4-year-old by Harlan’s Holiday. Last year,Albiano shot to the upper ranks when she captured the G3 Flower Cup (1,800 meters) on her third start. She then ran second in the G1 NHK Mile Cup and claimed the G2 Swan Stakes over 1,400 meters in the fall. She finished the year with a fifth-place finish in the top-level Mile Championship. The Ocean Stakes this year, her only start thus far in 2016, was her first time at six furlongs. She missed the break and raced from the rear, but covered extra ground running on the outside and nonetheless responded well in the stretch to finish fifth.

Sakura Gospel

The 8-year-old Sakura Gospel ran eighth in this race last year, but next time out took home the 1,400-meter Keio Hai Spring Cup, He also ran second in the Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes in the autumn. His trip to Hong Kong saw him finish a far 12th in the Sprint and the Takamatsunomiya Kinen will be his first race since then. Trainer Tomohito Ozeki says, “He would have been better to ride him more forward in Hong Kong and he didn’t quicken in the finish.” Ozeki still has belief in his horse and writes the poor performance off to the slower ground. “The overseas excursion has matured him, however, and he’s more relaxed now. He’s good coming off a layoff,” Ozeki claims.

Snow Dragon

Another oldtimer in the lineup is Snow Dragon. Two years ago, he ran second in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen following a second in the Ocean Stakes and later in the year scooped the Sprinters Stakes, which was run at Niigata that year. This year, the 8-year-old took on the Ocean Stakes coming off a layoff of a year and three months. He ran third, showing he has surely still got some champion stuff in him. Trainer Noboru Takagi says that despite the concerns he had had racingSnow Dragon after such a long time on the sidelines, he came out of the Ocean Stakes surprisingly well. “Chukyo,” Takagi says, “is a track that suits him well.”

A Shin Bullseye

Capturing the Ocean Stakes with his newfound power was A Shin Bullseye, a 5–year-old American-bred colt by Belgravia. It was the colt’s first win of a graded-stakes race, though he has made the board in three (including a second in the 2014 G3 Mainichi Hai) of his seven previous graded stakes bids.